Craig's list scam Created 15 years ago2009-11-14 20:37:23 UTC by zeeba-G

I emailed this guy to CALL me and look at what he emailed me. I've seen many scams like this one trying to buy a car on craig's list. He says that the car will be shipped by airplain...

Hello and sorry for my delay,

I'm SGT Geoffrey Crutchfield. This Camry LE is in perfect working condition. This vehicle engine runs very, very smooth. No electrical problems on this beauty. This detailed vehicle makes the exterior looks like it just came off the assembly line. The car has 67,160 miles. VIN Number: 4T1BE32K95U016154
Sunroof Premium Sound With CD Player Leather
Anti-Lock Brakes Passenger Airbag Air Conditioning
Cruise Control Power Locks Power Windows Power Seats
Click this link for pics:
http://s721.photobucket.com/albums/ww217/qualco/

As I know that my current situation is pretty special I want the deal closed only through eBay's Buyer Protection Program in order for you to be 100% protected. You will make the payment to eBay and they will hold the money until you receive the car. ONLY AFTER you receive the car and you inspect it(for 10 days) eBay will release the payment to me; in this way we are both protected. Anyway i am sure that if you won`t be satisfied about the car i will surely find another buyer in your area and there will be no need for you to ship the car back. I am located in Madrid, Spain and I was sent here with my department of peace maintenance. One month ago my wife moved here with me and brought the car with her but now we have to sell it back in the United States because we can't register it here; it has US specs and everything and registering it here in Europe will take for ever. My final price on it is 2,960 USD. If you will take it for this price I am willing to handle the shipping.It will be shipped from here by plane with US Air Military Cargo so it will not cost me anything. You will get it to the nearest airport in your area and then it will be trucked forward to your place. You will receive the car in about 3 days. Please get back to me asap if you decide to buy and include in your e-mail your full name and address where you want it shipped so I can start the deal with eBay. You will receive all the transaction payment and shipping details from them.

Best Regards,
Geoffrey and Lisa Crutchfield

Scams? On Craigslist?

No way bro...

I wish I could get my hands on that free military car importing service though. That'd be awesome.

Lol, I just thought it was funny because I couldn't imagine them shipping a car by airplane and for free. It just sounded so ridiculous.

Yeah, I'm not sure who would fall for that. Honestly.

I'm the emperor of China on Craig's list.

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Well, I guess I'm reaaaaallllllyyy gullible.. because it actually sounds abit legit.

Does it matter if it's through eBay's protection thing? What do you have to lose? Obviously if he's lying then he doesn't get his money... it wouldn't make sense for him to lie.

It's not the money he'll be getting. It's the name and address he'll get. And there could be more follow-up emails from him demanding more details so he can set up his eBay transaction thing.

Don't take this the wrong way zeeba-G, but what's wrong with just visiting your local used car dealer? Or even checking the classified ads section of your local newspaper? Personally, if I were to be buying a big ticket item like a car, I would rather deal with the seller face to face and see the car first hand before I even think about opening my wallet.

eBay has no such protection program. It's a scam, you'd never get your money back. eBay would never support something like this.

Tito: I think you missed the point of the thread...
And anyway, Craigslist is usually for local ads in which you do get to talk to the owner face-to-face.

Yea i've looked through the paper and I can't stand dealers. With craig's list you do see and test drive and even bring the car to a mechanic beofre buying it. I just fealt like bringing this scam to attention because its strange that there are so many of them on craig's list but no ones doing anything about them. I mean cmmon, who would sell a four year old car with 60,000 miles on it for anywhere under five grand. I've emailed lots of these sellers and they all send me the same basic message that there in some other country and ill be 100% satisfied without even seeing the car. I immedietly know there scams I just email them anyways to see what bull they'll try to tell me. Like I saw a 2006 mustang gt with prolly 50,000 miles for only 3 grand and it was the same kind of thing. Unbreakable its just because your not looking for a car. If you've seen the junk deals that are out there you'd know this is too good to be true.

hah ridiculous scam! pfft HAHAHA "shipped from here by plane with US Air Military Cargo" funniest thing I've ever heard!!!

Car dealers aren't that bad; they'll let you test drive their cars too and take them to a mechanic for inspection unless they're a really scummy dealership at which point you don't want to buy a car from them anyway.

That's a pretty funny scam though...I can see how the Ebay protection would sound a bit legit (since Ebay actually does run a buyer protection program, but it's for people purchasing cars through Ebay, not personal transactions...)